Thanksgiving Top Five

It’s that time of year again, folks. Time to count our blessings.

Last year, I wrote a blog post titled Thanksgiving Top Five. I re-read the post this morning, and it inspired me to reinvent the list. So, here’s my “Thanksgiving Top Five” for 2009…

I’m thankful for…

1. The people in my life
I think it’s safe to say that Jonathan, my family and friends will always remain at the top of my “to-be-thankful-for” list. They’re the unchanging, unconditional factor in my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am so incredibly thankful for each of them.

2. Time
I’ve said it before… I’ll say it again… There is absolutely no substitute for time. It’s all we have in this world, really. The precious time we spend with family and friends is invaluable. The moments that change our lives can never be bought, exchanged or returned. Memories are priceless.

I think the value of time becomes acutely clear when we lose people we cherish. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one or even the loss of a personal relationship, it’s impossible to reclaim time spent with others. You can’t turn back the clock. You can’t change the past. Remember what’s important, make time for the people you love and cherish the moments you share. We all run out of time, eventually… so don’t miss a single opportunity to create special memories with the people you love.

3. Health
Like most people my age, my health (and the health of the people I love) is something I often take for granted. Recently, my baby boy, Alfie, taught me a big lesson on this topic.

Alfie Ralphie was born with retinal dysplasia (retinal detachment) in both of his eyes. When he was a baby, a vet told us that Alfie was already blind in his left eye and would eventually be completely blind. A few weeks ago, Jonathan and I noticed that Alfie was whining a lot and squinting his right eye. So, we found a doggie eye doctor in Nashville, and took him to be examined. It turns out that our sweet boy is now completely blind and has developed glaucoma and a cyst in his right eye. He’s on a lot of medication and seems to be doing much better, but there’s still a chance that he’ll have to have surgery to remove the eye.

Despite his disability, Alfie is incredibly resilient. He runs around the house and in the yard, as if he can see just fine (which is why we had no idea that he had lost his sight).

Dealing with Alfie’s recent medical issues made me realize how lucky I am to be healthy. Can you imagine being completely blind? I can’t. Actually, I cannot imagine living with a disability, life-altering disease or any serious medical issue. I am so thankful for my health. And thankful that the people I love most are healthy too.

4. Employment
I am exceptionally thankful that Jonathan and I are both employed. Sometimes I find myself complaining about all the things I don’t have, when I should take inventory of my blessings instead.

There are so many families struggling in this economy… hardworking, driven people out of work because of circumstances beyond their control. Moms and dads who can’t afford to feed their children… Families that have to choose whether to buy groceries or pay for prescriptions… Couples torn apart by money problems…

I am so thankful for our jobs. The ability to pay our bills and live comfortably is a blessing.

5. Where I’ve been… where I’m headed…
When you’re a 20-something, it’s easy to lose track of yourself. We’re all busy building careers, planning weddings, decorating homes and having babies. Sometimes we forget to stop. Look back. Remember where we’ve been. Look forward to where we’re going.

I am so thankful for the road I’ve taken. The good. The bad. Even the really, really bad. Are there things I’d change? Do some things differently if I could? Absolutely. But I sincerely believe that when you know better, you do better. Every bad experience is a lesson learned. Every good experience is an incredible gift. I’m trying to take it all in, and do something meaningful with my life.

And that’s where I’m headed… toward some significant destination that I haven’t quite figured out yet. But exploring the possibilities is the best part of the journey.

Ingenious

Pre-lit Christmas trees are probably one of the simplest, yet most ingenious inventions of all time. Seriously.

Yesterday, Jonathan and spent the afternoon decking the halls of our house for the holidays. A little early? Perhaps. But that’s beside the point.

First, we gave the living room a much-needed deep clean. Dusted. Mopped. Even cleaned the windows inside and out. What can I say? I like to have a clean slate before putting up my holiday décor.

Next, we strung garland on the staircase railing, hung our stockings with care and dragged the giant Christmas tree box downstairs from the attic.

With the tree out of the box and fully assembled, we began the annual “how the hell do we put the lights on this thing” strategy session. It’s ridiculous.

Do you start stringing lights from the top of the tree? Or the bottom? How many times should you go around each layer of the tree? What happens when you run out of lights halfway through (which always seems to happen)? How much do you want to bet that at least three strands of lights has a blown fuse, broken bulb or damaged cord?

“This is just RIDICULOUS! We really need to buy a pre-lit tree.”

“Sounds good. Let’s do it.”

“Should we wait until they go on clearance after Christmas?”

We both look at the tree and the piles of lights in the floor.

“Absolutely not."

After a trip to Lowe’s, Home Depot, Target and back to Home Depot, we became the proud owners of a brand new pre-lit Christmas tree. Ingenious, I tell you.


Fa-la-la-la-la, La-la-la-la!!!

To be young again...

Lately, I've been feeling a little old. Most nights (including weekends) I can be found lounging on my couch in comfy pajamas by 7:00 p.m. "Even on Saturday night?" you ask. Yes. For me, a random trip to Target on a Wednesday can be categorized as "getting out of the house." Picking up sandwiches at Panera or a #501 at Royal Thai on a Thursday might be considered "dining out." Judge me if you must, but I'm kind of a shut-in. A homebody. It's just how I roll.

Not this weekend though.

My friend Nikki called me early in the week and asked if I'd be open to visitors for the weekend. She and her friend Emily were looking for a little weekend getaway and thought Music City might be kind of fun.

"OF COURSE!" I screeched into the phone (or maybe it was an all caps text message - can't remember). I love visitors, and I love Nikki! I was so excited.

Then, anxiety smacked me in my old-lady face.

"Where the hell am I going to take them?" I asked to myself, realizing that although I've lived in Nashville for nearly two years, I don't have the slightest idea of what's "in" in this town. I had a feeling that eating bacon turkey bravos and sipping on tomato bisque wasn't what these young, hip Georgia girls had in mind for their Nashville night out.

"What the hell am I going to wear?" I asked myself as I perused through my closet full of suits, blouses and pencil skirts. I don't have a clue what's fashionable these days. You can bet you'll never ever see me wearing leggings or skinny jeans. No one needs to see that. Ever.

Clearly, I needed a game plan for Nikki's visit.

What to do:
After much contemplation (and Googling), I decided on dinner at Virago. It's a swanky little sushi lounge in midtown. Jonathan and I have eaten there before, and I remember liking the atmosphere (and the food too). Plus, it's not even a block away from Patterson House, a super-duper trendy place known for it's creative cocktails. I had a few other locations mapped out too, just in case Nikki and Emily wanted to get country-music-crazy on Broadway.

What to wear:
After a shopping excursion to Macy's, White House Black Market, Ann Taylor Loft and Banana Republic, I had an outfit. Actually, I had several outfits. I may have gone a little overboard on the shopping, but obviously, I desperately needed a few new items for my wardrobe.

By the time Nikki and Emily arrived on Saturday, I was well-rested and ready for an all-nighter in Nashville. Oh, little did I know...

Dinner was fantastic. The wait at Patterson House was long, but totally worth it. We had too much fun sipping our fancy cocktails. Actually, we could have spent hours (and a lot of money) there. The atmosphere is nice. Very nice.

As we were leaving Patterson House at 12:00 a.m., I asked the girls where they wanted to go next.

"Actually putting on comfy pajamas and hanging out at your house sounds really good to me," Nikki said. Then, I'm pretty sure she yawned. Granted, she works approximately 80 hours a week as a pharmacy resident, but she's only 24, which is obviously much younger than old-lady-Melinda. And, she's much cooler too. So, I was totally anticipating an all-night party and at least a couple of cab rides. Not so much though. And I'm not gonna lie - it made me feel a little less old.

So, we came back to my house, put on our pajamas and played with Alfie Ralphie until we were all too tired to keep our eyes open. We were in bed by 1:30 a.m., which was absolutely fine with me.

I think I learned a few lessons this weekend. First, I'm not old. That's more of a fact, I guess. Not really a lesson or revelation. I just need to act my age (I'm still figuring out what that means exactly). Second, "going out" means different things to different people at different stages in their lives. Five years ago a night out meant something completely different than it does now. People change. Priorities change. And that's OK. Now that I think about it, it would probably be really sad if my definition of "going out" hadn't evolved since college. And lastly, I learned that I need to treat myself to "me" time more often. Every girl loves an afternoon at the mall finding a cute new outfit. It's definitely on my must-do more often list.

A few photos from the weekend...


Emily, Nikki and me

Delicious drinks and dessert at Patterson House

Driving on Broadway (Nikki took pictures out the window of the car)

She was quite amused by the "mixed bag" that is downtown Nashville

Happy Birthday, Yorkie-Baby!

It's official - my little man is all grown up. Today is my Yorkie-baby's birthday, and Alfie Ralphie Perkins Collins is four years old. This birthday is particularly significant, because Alfie is now the same age as his Papa Bear (28 in dog years). So, from here on out, Alfie will always be "older" than his Mommy and Daddy.

They grow up so fast, huh?

Here are a few of my favorite photos of my tiny little Yorkie-baby (when he was actually a baby)...


Christmas Eve 2005 - The day I became a Yorkie-mama. Alfie was a tiny one, weighing in at 1.5 lbs.

My handsome boy in his t-shirt...

He wasn't a big fan of the doggie clothes

First bath...

First haircut - and one of my all-time favorite photos of Alfie.

Happy Birthday, Yorkie-Baby!

Our First Anniversary

I've heard people say the first year of marriage is the hardest. But I have to disagree. Granted, I'm a little early in the game, but still, I definitely wouldn't classify my first year as a Mrs. as "hard." I guess it's mostly because the Mr. and me have been a dynamic duo for a super-long time (14 whopping years). When we tied the knot we both knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into... a lifetime of wedded awesomeness, of course.

Last weekend, Jonathan and I traveled to Asheville, North Carolina to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. We thought a trip to the Western Carolina town was appropriate since it's where Jonathan asked me to marry him in 2007.

Since we were back at the scene of a very significant turning point in our lives, we decided to retrace our steps a bit. We had a wonderful dinner at Marketplace, the restaurant where we ate the night Jonathan proposed. It was definitely déjà vu, especially since we ended up sitting at the exact same table. We also stopped by Chocolate Fetish for truffles, a quaint little chocolate shop we stumbled upon on our "engagement night" in '07. It was so romantic to go back to our special places and sort of relive the magical night that began our journey to husband and wife. Very sweet, Mr. Collins. Very sweet, indeed.

Of course, there were new adventures too. We visited the lovely Biltmore Estate, where we toured the house, walked through the gardens and grounds and sipped wine at the winery. We drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway and enjoyed the beautiful fall foliage. We attempted to hike, but the road to our chosen trail was closed. So, we improvised and headed to Mt. Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi River. The view was incredible.

Thank you, Husband, for a wonderful (and easy) first year of marriage and a fantastic anniversary celebration!

My favorite photos from our trip...


Outside Marketplace

It was raining, but I wanted to take a picture anyway...

Jonathan loved the pumpkins at the Biltmore Estate garden

Our fav: the turkey-pumpkin

My favorite tree at Biltmore... Look familiar? I've written about it before

Walking the grounds at Biltmore Estate... It was just lovely.

My attempt at "creative photography" (the ol' digi-cam just doesn't cut it)

Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Mt. Mitchell...

Mt. Mitchell

Amazing view!